Measuring instrument comprising cartridge container, measuring method, and program recorded medium

ABSTRACT

In the measuring equipment, a nozzle driving unit  10  equipped with a bar code reader decides whether the cartridge container being set is a special-purpose container, in which a predetermined reagent is injected separately in advance and to which a bar code is attached, or a general-purpose container that is prepared by separately injecting reagents by hand into an empty cartridge container, and when the cartridge container is a special-purpose container, a CPU  1  reads out measurement conditions from a measurement condition storage part for special-purpose reagents  3   a  based on the information included in the bar code, and when the cartridge container is a general-purpose container, the CPU  1  reads out measurement conditions for items of a measurement object selected and input by a measurer from a measurement condition storage part for general-purpose reagents  3   b  to conduct a measurement.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to measuring equipment and ameasuring method using a cartridge container including a plurality ofvessels into which separate liquid reagents are injected to measure aspecific component contained in a specimen from a sample that isobtained by mixing a body fluid (specimen) such as blood or urine withreagents inside this cartridge container following predeterminedprocesses.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Conventionally, particularly in the field of clinicalexaminations, it is known to prepare a sample by mixing a specimen suchas human blood or urine with a necessary reagent and to carry out anautomatic measurement of a specific component from the specimenquantitatively by measuring the absorbance etc. of this sample.

[0003] Among such conventional measuring equipment, there are aspecial-purpose apparatus whose measurement object is limited to aspecific substance and a general-purpose apparatus that is capable ofmeasuring a wide range of substances. In the case of the special-purposeapparatus, a special-purpose cartridge container injected separately inadvance with liquid reagents needed for measurement of items of ameasurement object is already prepared. In this configuration, anoperator only needs to fill a specimen into the special-purposecartridge container and set this container in the equipment, and all theoperations from mixing the reagents with the specimen to the measurementare carried out automatically inside one special-purpose cartridgecontainer.

[0004] In the case of the general-purpose apparatus, on the other hand,it is necessary to use various kinds of reagents compared to thespecial-purpose apparatus. Therefore, it is difficult to automate allthe operations, and the measurement operation procedures correspondingto the measurement object need to be determined by the operator.Furthermore, due to the fact that the general-purpose apparatus requiresa more complicated structure than the special-purpose apparatus, thegeneral-purpose apparatus tends to become larger. In addition, everytime the measurement object is changed, it is necessary to replacereagents or to clean the apparatus, so that the loss of reagent isgreat, and also the consumables such as wash water are consumed in alarge amount. Furthermore, every time the measurement object is changed,it is highly possible that corrections need to be made beforemeasurements.

[0005] In other words, the special-purpose apparatus is of specificlimited application, so that the following advantages are available: (1)it is generally smaller than the general-purpose apparatus; (2) it ispossible to automate the operations almost completely; (3) it is notnecessary to make corrections frequently before measurements; and (4)reagents are not changed frequently so that the amount of consumptionfor wash water etc. is less.

[0006] However, as a matter of course, the special-purpose apparatus canonly carry out the measurement of a specific measurement object.Therefore, when a substance that cannot be measured by thespecial-purpose apparatus needs to be measured, there is no other waybut to use the general-purpose apparatus in spite of the disadvantagesdescribed above.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to solve theabove-mentioned problems by providing measuring equipment constructed touse a predetermined cartridge container, which is excellent for generalpurpose use while maintaining the advantages of the special-purposeapparatus in that it is generally smaller than the general-purposeapparatus and capable of automating the operations almost completely.

[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the measuring equipment ofthe present invention is measuring equipment for conducting ameasurement using a cartridge container in which a specimen and areagent are injected separately into a plurality of vessels, and thecartridge container is either a special-purpose cartridge container,which is injected separately in advance with predetermined reagentscorresponding to items of a measurement object and sealed with a sealingmaterial on which an information carrier including information relevantto the cartridge container is attached, or a general-purpose cartridgecontainer that does not have the information carrier and is injectedseparately with reagents by a measurer. The equipment includes: carrieridentification means for deciding whether an information carrier isattached to a cartridge container of a measurement object, measurementcondition storage means for storing measurement conditions for each itemof the measurement object, and operation control means that decides froman output of the carrier identification means whether the cartridgecontainer of the measurement object is a special-purpose cartridgecontainer or a general-purpose cartridge container, and when thecartridge container of the measurement object is a special-purposecartridge container, a measurement is conducted according to measurementconditions read out from the measurement condition storage means basedon the information included in the information carrier, whereas when thecartridge container of a measurement object is a general-purposecartridge container, a measurement is conducted by outputting aninstruction to select items of the measurement object to output meansand reading out the measurement conditions from the measurementcondition storage means for the items of the measurement object selectedand input from input means.

[0009] According to this configuration, in the measuring equipmentcapable of measuring specific items of a measurement object using aspecial-purpose cartridge container that is injected separately inadvance with predetermined reagents, also items other than the specificitems of a measurement object can be measured using a general-purposecartridge container, in which commercially available reagents etc. areinjected separately as needed into an empty cartridge container by ameasurer, so that measuring equipment that is excellent for generalpurpose use can be provided. Here, the “measurer” includes not only aperson who actually conducts measurements while operating the presentmeasuring equipment but also a person who conducts preparation works formeasurements such as injecting a reagent or a specimen into a cartridgecontainer.

[0010] In the aforementioned measuring equipment, it is preferable thatthe information carrier is an optically readable carrier, and opticalread means is disposed in means for transferring liquid between thevessels of the cartridge container.

[0011] According to this configuration, it is possible to decide easilywhether an information carrier is attached to the cartridge container.In addition, as the optically readable information carrier, for example,a bar code, a graphic character code, and other marks or the like can beused.

[0012] It is preferable that the aforementioned measuring equipmentfurther includes information read means to read information from amagnetic recording medium, wherein the operation control means directsthe information read means to read measurement conditions recorded inthe recording medium and to store them in the measurement conditionstorage means.

[0013] According to this configuration, for example, a magneticrecording medium in which measurement conditions for items of ameasurement object requested from a user is offered from a manufacturerof measuring equipment etc. to the user of the equipment, so that themeasuring equipment corresponding to the needs of the user can beconstructed easily. In addition, as the magnetic recording mediummentioned above, for example, a magnetic card or the like can be used.

[0014] In the aforementioned measuring equipment, it is preferable thatthe measurement condition storage means has a first area wheremeasurement conditions for using the special-purpose cartridge containerare recorded and a second area where measurement conditions for usingthe general-purpose cartridge container are stored, and the operationcontrol means analyzes the measurement conditions read from therecording medium by the information read means, and stores them in thefirst area when the measurement conditions are measurement conditionsrelated to a measurement using a special-purpose cartridge container andin the second area when the measurement conditions are measurementconditions related to a measurement using a general-purpose cartridgecontainer.

[0015] According to this configuration, the present measuring equipmentcan manage measurement conditions for measurements using thespecial-purpose cartridge container and measurement conditions formeasurements using the general-purpose cartridge container effectively.

[0016] In addition, in the above configuration, it is preferable that aspecific identification number for each item of the measurement objectis given to the special-purpose cartridge container, and when themeasurement conditions read from the recording medium by the informationread means are measurement conditions related to a measurement using ageneral-purpose cartridge container, the operation control means gives,as an identification number of a general-purpose cartridge containerused for this measurement, an identification number in a range that doesnot overlap with the identification numbers given to the special-purposecartridge container in a sequential order, and stores them in the secondarea.

[0017] According to this configuration, measurement conditions for thegeneral-purpose cartridge container can be managed more effectively.

[0018] In the aforementioned measuring equipment, it is preferable thatall reagents and solvents needed for the measurement are injectedseparately into the special-purpose cartridge container. The solventsinclude a dilution for a specimen etc., a solvent used for washing thecartridge container, or the like, for example, such as distilled water,a buffer solution and an organic solvent. According to thisconfiguration, measurements can be conducted even in a situation where awater supply is not present.

[0019] In the aforementioned measuring equipment, it is preferable thata waste vessel is disposed in the cartridge container to store wasteliquid. According to this configuration, measurements can be conductedeven in the environment where waste liquid cannot be treated.

[0020] To achieve the above-mentioned object, a first measuring methodof the present invention is a measuring method for conducting ameasurement using a cartridge container in which a specimen and areagent are injected separately into a plurality of vessels, and thecartridge container is either a special-purpose cartridge container,which is injected separately in advance with predetermined reagentscorresponding to items of a measurement object and sealed with a sealingmaterial on which an information carrier including information relevantto the cartridge container is attached, or a general-purpose cartridgecontainer that does not have the information carrier and is injectedseparately with reagents by a measurer. The method includes: decidingwhether the cartridge container of the measurement object is aspecial-purpose cartridge container or a general-purpose cartridgecontainer based on whether an information carrier is attached to thecartridge container of the measurement object, and when the cartridgecontainer of the measurement object is a special-purpose cartridgecontainer, conducting a measurement following measurement operationprocedures corresponding to the information included in the informationcarrier, whereas when the cartridge container of the measurement objectis a general-purpose cartridge container, outputting an instruction toselect items of the measurement object and conducting a measurementfollowing measurement operation procedures corresponding to the selectedand input items of the measurement object.

[0021] According to this configuration, it has become possible toconduct measurements on specific items of a measurement object by usingthe special-purpose cartridge container which is injected separately inadvance with predetermined reagents or the like as well as on arbitraryitems of a measurement object by using the general-purpose cartridgecontainer, in which commercially available reagents etc. are injectedseparately as needed into an empty cartridge container, so thatmeasuring equipment that is excellent for general purpose use can beprovided.

[0022] To achieve the above-mentioned object, a second measuring methodof the present invention is a measuring method using measuring equipmentaccording to claim 1, and the method includes: separately injecting apredetermined reagent and a specimen into a general-purpose cartridgecontainer, setting the general-purpose cartridge container in themeasuring equipment, and selecting and inputting items of a measurementobject following an instruction from the measuring equipment to selectitems of the measurement object.

[0023] According to this configuration, in the measuring equipment usinga predetermined cartridge container, measurements on arbitrary items ofa measurement object can be conducted using a general-purpose cartridgecontainer, in which commercially available reagents etc. are injectedseparately as needed into an empty cartridge container.

[0024] To achieve the above-mentioned object, a first program recordingmedium of the present invention is a program recording medium thatrecords a control program for directing measuring equipment to execute ameasurement using a cartridge container with a plurality of vesselsinjected separately with a specimen and a reagent. The measuringequipment includes carrier identification means for deciding whether aninformation carrier is attached to a cartridge container of ameasurement object, measurement condition storage means for storingmeasurement conditions for each item of the measurement object, andmeasuring means for conducting a measurement according to themeasurement conditions. The control program includes: deciding from anoutput from the carrier identification means whether the cartridgecontainer of the measurement object is a special-purpose cartridgecontainer, which is injected separately in advance with predeterminedreagents corresponding to items of the measurement object and sealedwith a sealing material on which an information carrier includinginformation relevant to the cartridge container is attached, or ageneral-purpose cartridge container that does not have the informationcarrier and is injected separately with reagents by a measurer, and whenthe cartridge container of the measurement object is a special-purposecartridge container, conducting a measurement following the measurementconditions read out from the measurement condition storage means basedon the information included in the information carrier, whereas when thecartridge container of a measurement object is a general-purposecartridge container, outputting an instruction to select items of themeasurement object and conducting a measurement following themeasurement conditions read out from the measurement condition storagemeans corresponding to the items of the measurement object selected andinput based on the output.

[0025] The measuring equipment of the present invention can beimplemented by directing the CPU etc. to execute the control programrecorded in this recording medium. As the recording medium, for example,ROM, a flexible disc, a hard disc, or an arbitrary recording medium suchas CD-ROM can be used.

[0026] Furthermore, to achieve the above-mentioned object, a secondprogram recording medium of the present invention is a program recordingmedium that records a control program for directing measurementequipment to store measurement conditions in measurement conditionstorage means of the measuring equipment. The measuring equipmentincludes the measurement condition storage means for storing measurementconditions for each item of a measurement object and uses a cartridgecontainer including a plurality of vessels injected separately with aspecimen and a reagent. The control program includes: deciding whetherthe input measurement conditions are measurement conditions related to ameasurement using a special-purpose cartridge container, which isinjected separately in advance with predetermined reagents correspondingto items of a measurement object and sealed with a sealing material onwhich an information carrier including information relevant to thecartridge container is attached, or measurement conditions related to ameasurement using a general-purpose cartridge container that does nothave the information carrier and is injected separately with reagents bya measurer, and based on the decision result, storing the measurementconditions in different areas of the measurement condition storage meansaccording.

[0027] The measuring equipment of the present invention can beimplemented by directing the CPU etc. to execute the control programrecorded in this recording medium. As the recording medium, for example,ROM, a flexible disc, a hard disc, or an arbitrary recording medium suchas CD-ROM can be used.

[0028] Furthermore, it is preferable that a specific identificationnumber for each item of the measurement object is given to thespecial-purpose cartridge container, and when the input measurementconditions are measurement conditions related to a measurement using ageneral-purpose cartridge container, the control program gives, as anidentification number of a general-purpose cartridge container used forthis measurement, an identification number in a range that does notoverlap with the identification numbers given to the special-purposecartridge container in a sequential order, and stores them in themeasurement condition storage means.

[0029] In addition, it is preferable in this program that themeasurement conditions are recorded in a magnetic recording medium, andthe measurement conditions are input from magnetic information readmeans equipped in the measuring equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a cartridgecontainer (empty cartridge container) used in measuring equipmentaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge container.

[0032]FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of aspecial-purpose cartridge container used in the measuring equipment.

[0033]FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of themeasuring equipment.

[0034]FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the flow of main processing in themeasuring equipment.

[0035]FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the process of Step S5 in FIG. 5 indetail.

[0036]FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the process of Step S4 in FIG. 5 indetail.

[0037]FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the process of Step S45 in FIG. 7in detail.

[0038]FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the process of Step S46 in FIG. 7in detail.

[0039]FIG. 10 is a graph showing a calibration curve in measuringequipment according to one example of the present invention.

[0040]FIG. 11 is a graph showing a calibration curve in a conventionalautomatic analyzer.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0041] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the drawings.

[0042] Measuring equipment according to the present embodiment uses acartridge container injected separately with a necessary liquid reagentetc. to carry out a simplified measurement in such a manner that asample is prepared by injecting a specimen, for example, human blood orurine etc. into this cartridge container and conducting all thenecessary operations for the measurement such as dilution of thespecimen, stirring and mixing of the specimen with a reagent or the likeinside this cartridge container, transmitting light with a predeterminedwavelength through the obtained sample and measuring the absorbency(absorbance) of this light.

[0043]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of acartridge container used in the present measuring equipment. FIG. 2 is across-sectional view of the cartridge container. As shown in FIG. 1 andFIG. 2, the cartridge container used in the present measuring equipmentincludes a plurality of wells 21 to 26, a plurality of cells A to C, aspecimen container holder 27, a specimen vessel 28 and a waste vessel29.

[0044] The materials for the present cartridge container are notparticularly limited, except that at least a transparent material isused for a portion where light is transmitted to measure the absorbance.However, it is preferable to use, for example, a polystyrene resin orthe like in view of the production operability as well as the cost.

[0045] In preparing a measurement, a specimen is injected into thespecimen vessel 28 using a pipette or the like. A specimen that needs tobe centrifuged is injected into the specimen container holder 27 andthen centrifuged and can be set in this state. A specimen that does notneed to be centrifuged (for example, whole blood etc.) can be injectedinto the specimen vessel 28 as well and measured.

[0046] The waste vessel 29 serves for storing waste liquid, but a chip30 that will be used at the time of measurement is already mounted inthe present cartridge container before use. When preparations for ameasurement are made, the chip 30 is removed from the waste vessel 29and mounted on a tip of a nozzle (to be described later) in themeasuring equipment, and the chip 30 serves for sucking and drainingspecimens, samples or the like by operating a sampling pump unit (to bedescribed later) in the measuring equipment.

[0047] Corresponding to items of a measurement object, a liquid reagent,a diluted solution, a washing liquid or the like are injected separatelyinto the wells 21 to 26 and the cell A to C. In addition, the presentcartridge container is offered to a user of the measuring equipmenteither in a state in which only the chip 30 is mounted and the wells andthe cells etc. are empty without any injection, or, as shown in FIG. 3,in order to serve for measurements of specific items of a measurementobject, in a state in which the wells and the cells etc. are injectedseparately in advance with a predetermined reagent etc. and sealed(hereinafter referred to as a special-purpose cartridge container).

[0048] Thus, the user of the measuring equipment can conduct themeasurements on specific items of a measurement object by using thespecial-purpose cartridge container as well as on arbitrary items of themeasurement object by using a cartridge container that is prepared byseparately injecting commercially available reagents into an emptycartridge container by hand (hereinafter referred to as ageneral-purpose cartridge container).

[0049] Here, the concept “injection by hand” in the presentspecification is used in contrast to a condition in which reagents orthe like are injected separately in advance into a special-purposecartridge container during the manufacturing process of this package andrefers to the act of separately injecting reagents into a cartridgecontainer after the user of the measuring equipment obtained thecartridge container, and it is not important to distinguish whether theact of injection itself is conducted by human hand or by machine.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 3, when the present cartridge container isoffered in the form of a special-purpose cartridge container that isinjected separately in advance with predetermined reagents etc., thereagents etc. are injected separately, and then the container is sealedby attaching a seal 31 on the upper surface of the package. On thesurface of this seal 31, a bar code 32 is attached beside the openingsof the wells 21 to 26 and the cells A to C. The bar code 32 includes, asinformation related to this special-purpose cartridge container,information such as an item number of the measurement object, acartridge container number, an expiration date and so forth. Inaddition, as far as the amount of information is within a recordablelimit of the bar code 32, a lot number of this cartridge container orother information may be included.

[0051] On the other hand, the empty cartridge container is shipped, asshown in FIG. 1, without being sealed and without even a bar codeattached. The manufacturer of the present measuring equipment providesthe user of the measuring equipment with a separate injection proceduralmanual in which the manual separate injection procedures are describedfor each item of the measurement object required by the user, in otherwords, which reagent should be injected in which amount into which well(or cell) of the empty cartridge container, as well as with a magneticcard recording the measurement operation procedures etc. for themeasuring equipment when such a package containing commercial reagentsinjected separately by hand (a general-purpose cartridge container) isset. In addition, as needed, the measurement operation procedures forthe measuring equipment in the case of using a special-purpose cartridgecontainer also are recorded in the magnetic card, and the magnetic cardis offered from the manufacturer of the measuring equipment to the user.

[0052] When the user purchases the measuring equipment or needs to addnew items of the measurement object and so on, the user is provided witha magnetic card concerning the necessary items of the measurementobject. This magnetic card can be read by a magnetic card reader (to bedescribed later) in the measuring equipment, so that the measurementconditions for these items of the measurement object are registered inthe measuring equipment. In addition, the measurement conditions for thespecial-purpose cartridge container may be registered in advance in themeasuring equipment at the time of shipment, and the magnetic card maybe attached to the apparatus as backup.

[0053] Here, the configuration of the measuring equipment according tothe present embodiment will be explained. FIG. 4 is a block diagramshowing the configuration of the present measuring equipment. Thepresent measuring equipment includes a central processing unit (CPU) 1,a ROM 2, a RAM 3, a sheet key 4 used by a user to input operatorguidance etc., an LCD indicator 5 made of a liquid crystal display, aprinter 6 for printing out measurement results etc., an input-outputcontroller 7 implemented with a communication interface, for example,RS-232C etc., a magnetic card reader 8, a sampling pump unit 9, a nozzledriving unit 10 and a measurement part unit 11.

[0054] The sampling pump unit 9 has a pump and controls sucking anddraining of specimens, reagents etc. under the control of the CPU 1 byoperating this pump via the chip 30 to be mounted on the tip of thenozzle of the nozzle driving unit 10. The nozzle driving unit 10controls the operation of the aforementioned nozzle on the cartridgecontainer under the control of the CPU 1.

[0055] The nozzle of the nozzle driving unit 10 also has the function ofopening the seal 31 when the special-purpose cartridge container is setin the present measuring equipment. This nozzle is made, for example, ofstainless steel or the like and is capable of piercing the seal 31 tomake a hole. Thus, after holes are made in apertures such as wells orcells required for the measurement, the nozzle tip is inserted into thechip 30 that is mounted in the waste vessel 29 so that the chip 30 isplaced on the nozzle.

[0056] The CPU 1 transfers reagents etc. injected separately into thecartridge container to another well or cell, for example, by controllingthe operation of the sampling pump unit 9 and that of the nozzle drivingunit 10 as follows. First, the CPU 1 shifts the nozzle of the nozzledriving unit 10 horizontally on the upper surface of the cartridgecontainer and stops the nozzle temporarily above an intended well orcell.

[0057] Next, the nozzle is sent down from above this well or cell, sothat the tip of the chip 30 attached on the nozzle tip reaches theliquid surface inside this well or the cell. Thereafter, by operatingthe sampling pump unit 9 to conduct sucking, the reagent etc. injectedseparately inside this well or cell is sucked into the chip 30.

[0058] In addition, the nozzle is sent up above this well or cell andshifted horizontally to be above another well or cell. Then, the nozzleis sent down from above this well or cell, and then the sampling pumpunit 9 is operated to conduct draining. Thus, the reagent etc. in acertain well or cell is transferred to a different well or cell.

[0059] The present measuring equipment thus carries out dilution of aspecimen or mixing of the specimen with reagents to create samples formeasurements by performing a transfer of a predetermined amount ofspecimen, reagent, a dilution solution or the like from a certain wellor cell to another well or cell following the procedures correspondingto the items of the measurement object. Furthermore, any one of thewells can be injected separately with a washing solution, and when theoperation of sucking the washing solution from this well into the chip30 and draining it to the waste vessel 29 is conducted for several timesat the time between a certain reagent etc. was transferred and anotherreagent etc. is to be transferred, the chip 30 can be washed, so that itis possible to prevent an unwanted reagent etc. from mixing therein.

[0060] Furthermore, the nozzle driving unit 10 is equipped with a barcode reader for reading the bar code 32 of the cartridge container (thespecial-purpose cartridge container). The measurement part unit 11 notonly has the mechanism of fixing a cartridge container but also includesa container sensor for identifying whether a cartridge container is setin this mechanism and a measuring sensor for detecting the items of themeasurement object. In addition, as the aforementioned measuring sensor,a spectrophotometer or the like can be used to determine the absorbanceof a sample using light with a predetermined wavelength.

[0061] Hereinafter, the operation of the present measuring equipmentwill be described with reference to the flow charts of FIG. 5 to FIG. 9.

[0062]FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the flow of main processing in themeasuring equipment. As shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 1 in the presentmeasuring equipment displays an initial menu on the LCD indicator 5 fromwhich an operator selects the operation mode of the measuring equipmentsuch as “start measurement” and “auxiliary operation” (Step S1).

[0063] When the operator selects his desired operation mode and performsa key entry from the sheet key 4, the CPU 1 accepts this key entry (StepS2) and operates in the operation mode selected by the operator (Step S3to S5), and when the processes in the respective operation modes arecompleted, a message is displayed for the operator to confirm that theoperation is completed. After receiving an authentication entry for thismessage (Step S6), the CPU 1 returns to Step S1 and displays the initialmenu on the LCD indicator 5.

[0064] In addition, as an example of the operation mode for the“auxiliary operation”, FIG. 5 only shows a “registration of measurementconditions (Step S5)” in which the measurement conditions are registeredin the measuring equipment using the aforementioned magnetic card.However, as operations included in the “auxiliary operation” other thanthis registration of measurement conditions, a deletion of theregistered measurement conditions etc. is conceivable.

[0065] Here, the process of the “registration of measurement conditions”in Step S5 will be described in more detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6. This process is performed for registering measurementconditions for each item of a measurement object using a magnetic cardprovided by the manufacturer when a user of the present measuringequipment purchases the measuring equipment or needs to add new items ofthe measurement object.

[0066] The CPU 1 first reads out a magnetic card read program from theROM 2 (Step S51). The processes to be followed are performed in that theCPU 1 operates following this magnetic card read program. Aftercompleting the readout of the program, the CPU 1 displays a message onthe LCD indicator 5 instructing the insertion of the magnetic card intothe magnetic card reader 8 (Step S52). When the operator follows thismessage and passes the magnetic card containing measurement conditionsthrough the magnetic card reader 8, the measurement conditions recordedin the magnetic card are input to the present measuring equipment (StepS53).

[0067] The CPU 1 analyzes the information input from the magnetic cardreader 8 (Step S54). Items to be input as the measurement conditions arethe item names of the measurement object, the item numbers of themeasurement object, the cartridge container number, the expiration date,the operating procedures (measurement operation procedures) for thesampling pump unit 9, the nozzle driving unit 10 and so forth and themethod for calculating the results.

[0068] With respect to the aforementioned item numbers of themeasurement object recorded in the magnetic card, a specific number isdefined for each item name of the measurement object. With respect tothe cartridge container number, a specific number is defined for eachitem of the measurement object with respect to the measurementconditions using a special-purpose cartridge container. However, withrespect to the measurement conditions using a general-purpose cartridgecontainer, a null value is given as the cartridge container numberregardless of the items of the measurement object.

[0069] Therefore, when the information input from the magnetic cardreader 8 is analyzed, the CPU 1 decides whether the input measurementconditions are targeted for a special-purpose container or for ageneral-purpose cartridge container based on whether the cartridgecontainer number is a significant number or a null value (Step S55).

[0070] As a result of this decision, when it involves measurementconditions for a special-purpose cartridge containers (YES in Step S55),the measurement conditions input from the magnetic card reader 8 arestored as they are in an area (a measurement condition storage part forspecial-purpose reagents 3 a) of the RAM 3 where measurement conditionsconcerning measurements using a special-purpose cartridge container areto be stored (Step S56).

[0071] On the other hand, when it involves measurement conditions for ageneral-purpose cartridge container (NO in Step S55), the cartridgecontainer number indicated as a null value is replaced with anappropriate cartridge container number within the measurement conditionsinput from the magnetic card reader 8 and then stored in an area (ameasurement condition storage part for general-purpose reagents 3 b)where measurement conditions concerning measurements using ageneral-purpose cartridge container are to be stored (Step S57). Thisreplacement of the cartridge container number is performed within arange of numbers reserved for a general-purpose cartridge container suchthat this number can be distinguished from the special-purpose cartridgecontainer number and that the numbers for general-purpose cartridgecontainers do not overlap with each other. For example, when the numbersfor special-purpose cartridge containers are determined in a range of 1to 60, the numbers from 70 and after will be allocated in a sequentialorder for general-purpose cartridge containers.

[0072] When the process of Step S56 or Step S57 is completed, the CPU 1returns the control to main processing (return).

[0073] According to the processes of Step S51 to Step S57 describedabove, the measurement conditions are stored in the RAM 3 of themeasuring equipment. In addition, since the RAM 3 is nonvolatile memory,there is no need to register the once stored measurement conditionsagain as long as the contents of the measurement conditions do notrequire any change.

[0074] Next, the process of the “execute measurement” in Step S4 shownin FIG. 5 will be described in detail with reference to the flow chartof FIG. 7. This process is a process for performing an actualmeasurement by using a special-purpose cartridge container or acartridge container that is prepared by separately injectingcommercially available reagents (general-purpose reagents) into an emptycartridge container by hand.

[0075] Before starting a measurement, the operator prepares a specimenand a cartridge container that is injected separately with reagentscorresponding to the items of the measurement object to be measured fromthis specimen. Depending on the items of the measurement object, thiscartridge container may be a special-purpose cartridge container as wellas a cartridge container that is prepared by separately injectinggeneral-purpose reagents into an empty cartridge container by handaccording to the aforementioned separate injection procedural manual.Here, the above-mentioned specimen is, for example, a body fluid or thelike such as human blood and urine, and is injected separately into thespecimen vessel 28 of the cartridge container before starting themeasurement.

[0076] As already described, the measuring equipment displays an initialmenu on the LCD indicator 5 from which the operator selects theoperation mode of the measuring equipment such as “start measurement”and “auxiliary operation” (Step S1 in FIG. 5). Here, when the operatorselects the “start measurement” from the initial menu and performs a keyentry from the sheet key 4, the measurement execution process in Step S4is initiated.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 7, the CPU 1 first calls the measurement controlprogram that controls the measurement operation from the ROM 2 (StepS41). The processes to be followed are performed in that the CPU 1operates following this measurement control program. After completingthe readout of the program, the CPU 1 displays a message “startmeasurement” on the LCD indicator 5 (Step S42).

[0078] Here, the operator confirms the contents displayed on the LCDindicator 5 and sets a cartridge container (a special-purpose cartridgecontainer or a cartridge container prepared by separately injectinggeneral-purpose reagents into an empty cartridge container) into themeasurement part unit 11. The CPU 1 recognizes that the cartridgecontainer was set in the measurement part unit 11 based on a signal ofON/OFF from the cartridge container sensor mounted on the measurementpart unit 11 (Step S43). At this stage, in order to prevent a falserecognition from occurring, the CPU 1 confirms the sensor signal in themeasurement part unit 11 at least twice at a constant interval to verifywhether the cartridge container is set correctly.

[0079] After confirming that the cartridge container is set, the CPU 1sends a control instruction to the nozzle driving unit 10 and reads thebar code information of the cartridge container being set in themeasurement part unit 11 with a bar code reader mounted on the nozzledriving unit (Step S44).

[0080] In the case where the cartridge container being set is aspecial-purpose cartridge container, the bar code 32 is read, so thatthe decision result in Step S44 becomes YES, and it proceeds to Step S45to carry out a measurement using the special-purpose cartridgecontainer. On the other hand, in the case where the cartridge containerbeing set is the one prepared by separately injecting general reagentsinto an empty cartridge container, since there is no bar code, thedecision result in Step S44 becomes NO, and it proceeds to Step S46 tocarry out a measurement following the measurement procedures for ageneral-purpose cartridge container. In addition, the processes in StepS45 and Step S46 will be described later in detail.

[0081] When the process of Step S45 or Step S46 is completed, the CPU 1outputs the measurement result obtained by the process of Step S45 orStep S46 to the LCD indicator 5, the printer 6 and the input-outputcontrol part 7 (Step S47).

[0082] Then, when the operator removes the used cartridge container fromthe measurement part unit 11, the CPU 1 recognizes that the cartridgecontainer was removed based on a sensor signal from the measurement partunit 11 and returns to the main processing shown in the flow chart ofFIG. 5.

[0083] Here, the process in Step S45 mentioned above, which is performedwhen the cartridge container being set is a special-purpose cartridgecontainer, will be described in detail with reference to the flow chartof FIG. 8.

[0084] The CPU 1 collates the bar code information being read by thenozzle driving unit 10 in Step S44 shown in FIG. 7 with the informationstored in the RAM 3 (Step S451). In other words, as already described,the information such as the item numbers of the measurement object, thecartridge container number, the expiration date and so forth arerecorded in the bar code 32 attached on the special-purpose cartridgecontainer, so that the CPU 1 uses the item numbers of the measurementobject and the expiration date recorded in the bar code 32 as theretrieval key for retrieving the measurement condition storage part forspecial-purpose reagents 3 a in the RAM 3.

[0085] As a result, when the measurement conditions including the itemnumbers of the measurement object and the expiration data thatcorrespond to the retrieval key are stored in the measurement conditionstorage part for special-purpose reagents 3 a of the RAM 3 (YES in StepS452), the CPU 1 reads out the item names of the measurement object andthe measurement operation procedures from these measurement conditionsand performs a parameter input to the measurement control program thathas already been read out in Step S41 shown in FIG. 7 (Step S453).

[0086] Then, the CPU 1 displays a message on the LCD indicator 5indicating that the measurement operation has been initiatedautomatically and conducts the measurement by controlling the samplingpump unit 9 and the nozzle driving unit 10 following the above-mentionedmeasurement control program (Step S455). When the measurement iscompleted, an arithmetic processing of the measurement result isconducted as needed (Step S456), and the CPU 1 returns to the processshown in the flow chart of FIG. 7.

[0087] On the other hand, as a result of the collation in Step S451,when the measurement conditions including the item numbers of themeasurement object and the expiration data that correspond to theretrieval key are not stored in the RAM 3 (NO in Step S452), the CPU 1displays a message on the LCD indicator 5 informing that the measurementconditions of the special-purpose cartridge container being set areunregistered (Step S454), and the CPU 1 returns to the process shown inthe flow chart of FIG. 7.

[0088] Next, the process in Step S46 mentioned above, which is performedwhen the cartridge container being set is a general-purpose cartridgecontainer that is prepared by separately injecting general-purposereagents into an empty cartridge container by hand, will be described indetail with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 9.

[0089] The CPU 1 first reads out the program for controlling themeasurement operation in the case of using a general-purpose cartridgecontainer from the ROM 2 (Step S461). The processes to be followed areperformed in that the CPU 1 operates following this program.

[0090] Next, the CPU 1 reads out the selection program that allows theoperator to select and input the items of the measurement object fromthe ROM 2. Based on this selection program, the CPU 1 displays the itemnames of the measurement object and the item numbers of the measurementobject that can be selected on the LCD indicator 5 (Step S463).

[0091] The operator looks at the display on the LCD indicator 5 andconducts a key entry to select the desired item names of the measurementobject from the sheet key 4. The CPU 1 accepts this key entry (StepS464) and collates the selected item names of the measurement objectwith the information stored in the measurement condition storage partfor general-purpose reagents 3 b of the RAMS 3 (Step S465).

[0092] As a result of the collation, when the measurement conditionsincluding the information corresponding to the item names of themeasurement object selected by the key entry (the item numbers of themeasurement object and the cartridge container number) are stored in themeasurement condition storage part for general-purpose reagents 3 b ofthe RAM 3 (YES in Step S466), the CPU 1 reads out these item names ofthe measurement object and the measurement operation procedures from theRAM 3 and performs a parameter input to the measurement program that hasalready been read out in Step S461 to initiate the measurement operation(Step S467). At the same time, the CPU 1 at this stage displays on theLCD indicator 5 that the measurement operation has been initiated.

[0093] When the measurement operation starts, the CPU 1 conducts apredetermined measurement operation by controlling the sampling pumpunit 9 and the nozzle driving unit 10 following the measurementoperation procedures that was read out from the RAM 3 (Step S469). Whenthe measurement is completed, an arithmetic processing of themeasurement result is conducted as needed (Step S470), and the CPU 1returns to the process shown in the flow chart of FIG. 7.

[0094] As described above, when the cartridge container was set in themeasurement part unit 11, the present measuring equipment decideswhether this cartridge container has a bar code using a bar code readermounted on the nozzle driving unit 10. As a result, when the bar codecan be read, the measurement conditions for a special-purpose cartridgecontainer are read out from the RAM 3 to conduct a measurement, whereaswhen the bar code can not be read, the measurement conditions for ageneral-purpose cartridge container are read out to conduct ameasurement.

[0095] According to this configuration, it has become possible not onlyto measure specific items of a measurement object using aspecial-purpose cartridge container injected separately in advance withpredetermined reagents etc. but also to measure arbitrary items of themeasurement object by using a cartridge container prepared by separatelyinjecting commercial reagents etc. by hand into an empty cartridgecontainer. As a result, highly versatile measuring equipment can beimplemented.

EXAMPLES

[0096] Hereinafter, more specific examples in the embodiment of thepresent invention will be described, but the present invention is notlimited thereto.

Example 1

[0097] In the present example, a prototype of the measuring equipmentaccording to the present invention was built, and a cartridge containerprepared by separately injecting general-purpose reagents into an emptycartridge container by hand was used to conduct a rheumatoid factor (RF)immunological nephelometric measurement. Then, these measurement resultswere compared with the equivalent measurement results obtained by aconventional automatic analyzer (manufactured by Nihon Denshi Co., Ltd.:Biochemical Automatic Analyzer JCA-BM8 (product name)). In addition, theaforementioned measuring equipment used in the present example wasimplemented by using conventional measuring equipment with the samehardware configuration as that shown in FIG. 4 in the aforementionedembodiment of the present invention and loading a program for performingthe processes shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 9 into its CPU. The measurementswere carried out as follows:

[0098] (1) Various parameters such as a factor of dilution in theRF-Latex x1 “Seiken” (product name, manufactured by Denka Seiken Co.),which is commercially available as a special-purpose reagent kit, wasdetermined for JCA-BM8. The mixing ratio was determined to be 140 microliters (μL) for the buffer solution, 47 μL for Latex and 4 μL for thespecimen (blood plasma). In addition, the dilution rate of the specimenwas determined to be fivefold, and the amount of the diluted specimenused was determined to be 20 μL. In addition, the measuring wavelengthof JCA-BM8 is 658 nm. Other detailed settings were determined followingthe instructions from the manufacturer.

[0099] (2) The RF standard solution (product name, manufactured by DenkaSeiken Co.) included in the aforementioned special-purpose reagent kitwas dissolved as instructed by the manufacturer to conduct a measurementfor preparing a calibration curve using JCA-BM8. The results are shownin Table 1 and FIG. 11. TABLE 1 Standard Solution (IU/ml) Measurement-1Measurement-2 Average 0 0.0134 0.0136 0.01350 20 0.0319 0.0315 0.0317040 0.0609 0.0622 0.06155 80 0.1506 0.1502 0.15040 120 0.2656 0.26340.26450

[0100] (3) The measurement of the aforementioned specimen was conductedusing JCA-BM8, and a RF concentration of the specimen was obtained fromthe calibration curve prepared in (2). The results are shown later inTable 3.

[0101] (4) Corresponding to the parameters of JCA-BM8, parameters forthe present measuring equipment were prepared. At this stage, the mixingratio for the buffer, Latex, and the specimen was determined to be140:47:4 just like for JCA-BM8. The mixing ratio was 140 μL for thebuffer solution, 47 μL for Latex, and 4 μL for the specimen.

[0102] In this mixing ratio, when the dilution rate of the specimen wasdetermined to be twentyfold in order to conduct a whole bloodmeasurement and a hematocrit correction at the time of the whole bloodmeasurement more easily, the amount of diluted specimen used becomes 80μL. In addition, when a whole blood measurement is not conducted, it isalso possible to inject separately 20 μL of the specimen dilutedfivefold as in (1). In the present example, the amount of separateinjection for each reagent was reset to 60% of the aforementionedamounts, that is, 84 μL for the buffer solution, 28.2 μL for Latex and2.4 μL for the specimen.

[0103] In addition, the measuring wavelength of the present measuringequipment is 660 nm, while the measuring wavelength of JCA-BM8 is 658nm. However, since the measuring wavelength for these reagents is set ina range of 550 to 660 nm, a difference in their measuring wavelengthdoes not affect the measurement results.

[0104] (5) According to the separate injection procedural manual,reagents were injected separately into an empty cartridge container byhand. In this separate injection procedural manual, the amounts of therespective reagents to be injected separately into each well of theempty cartridge container (See FIG. 2) are designated as follows: well22: Hb measuring reagent 300 μL well 23: physiological salt solution 420μL well 24: buffer solution 330 μL well 25: distilled water 380 μL well26: Latex  50 μL

[0105] In the present example, a physiological salt solution is injectedseparately into the well 23 and used for the purpose of diluting thewhole blood twentyfold in order to measure the whole blood that washemolyzed in advance by freezing and thawing. When the whole blood usedis not hemolyzed, a solution that causes hemolysis (for example, saponinsolution) is injected separately herein. Furthermore, in the case wherethere is a specimen diluent designated by the manufacturer who suppliesthe reagent, it is preferable to inject this specimen diluent separatelyherein and to conduct the dilution of the specimen at a dilution ratedesignated by the manufacturer. In addition, in the case where a wholeblood measurement is not conducted and even a dilution of the specimenis not necessary, the reagents do not need to be injected separatelyinto the well 23 and the parameters related thereto become unnecessary.

[0106] (6) The measurement operation procedures for the cartridgecontainer into which the reagents were injected separately according to(5) described above were recorded in a magnetic card, and this magneticcard was read by the magnetic card reader 9, as described above, so thatthe measurement operation procedures for this cartridge container wereregistered in the present measuring equipment. In addition, thesequences for the measurement operation procedures are shown as (a) to(m) below.

[0107] (a) 95 μL physiological salt solution is transferred two timesfrom the well 23 to the well 21, so that a total of 190 μL physiologicalsalt solution is injected separately into the well 21.

[0108] (b) 84 μL buffer solution is transferred from the well 24 to thecell B.

[0109] (c) 77 μL Hb measuring reagent is transferred two times from thewell 22 to the cell A, so that a total of 154 μL Hb measuring reagent isinjected separately into the cell A.

[0110] (d) After 110 μL of sucking and draining is conducted two timeswith the physiological salt solution left in the well 23, the chip 30 iswashed by transferring 50 μL distilled water of the well 25 into thewaste vessel 29.

[0111] (e) 10 μL specimen in the specimen vessel 28 is transferred tothe well 21, and 110 μL of sucking and draining is conducted five timesinside the well 21 to stir and mix the liquid inside the well 21.

[0112] (f) After 110 μL of sucking and draining is conducted two timeswith the physiological salt solution left in the well 23, the chip 30 iswashed by transferring 50 μL distilled water of the well 25 into thewaste vessel 29.

[0113] (g) 28 μL diluted specimen in the well 21 is transferred to thecell A, and 110 μL of sucking and draining is conducted five timesinside the cell A to stir and mix the liquid inside the cell A.

[0114] (h) A change in the absorbance of the cell A is detected, and theHb concentration is measured.

[0115] (i) After 110 μL of sucking and draining is conducted two timeswith the buffer solution left in the well 24, the chip 30 is washed bytransferring 50 μL distilled water of the well 25 into the waste vessel29.

[0116] (j) 48 μL diluted specimen in the well 21 is transferred to thecell B, and 85 μL of sucking and draining is conducted five times insidethe cell B to stir and mix the liquid inside the cell B.

[0117] (k) After 110 μL of sucking and draining is conducted two timeswith the distilled water left in the well 25, the chip 30 is washed bytransferring 110 μL distilled water of the well 25 into the waste vessel29.

[0118] (l) 28.2 μL Latex in the well 26 is injected separately into thecell B, and 110 μL of sucking and draining is conducted three times tostir and mix the liquid inside the cell B.

[0119] (m) A change in the absorbance of the cell B is detected, and theRF concentration is measured.

[0120] (7) To prepare a calibration curve, the RF standard solution of(2) was injected separately into the specimen vessel 28 of the cartridgecontainer into which the reagents had been injected separately by handas shown in above (5), and measurements were conducted with the presentmeasuring equipment and thus changes in the absorbance (delta Abs) wereobtained. The results are shown in Table 2 and FIG. 10. In addition, inthe present example, the measurements were conducted two times in eachcase to prepare the calibration curve for the present measuringequipment based on their average values, but the number of measurementscan be changed depending on the time required for the measurement, theamounts of reagents, or the measuring accuracy required and so forth.TABLE 2 Standard Solution (IU/ml) Measurement-1 Measurement-2 Average 00.0012 0.0018 0.00150 20 0.0079 0.0070 0.00745 40 0.0220 0.0212 0.0216080 0.0594 0.0623 0.06085 120 0.1329 0.1314 0.13215

[0121] (8) The delta Abs obtained in above (7) was input to the presentmeasuring equipment to prepare the calibration curve. This entry wasdone by a magnetic card. In addition, when the calibration curve is notused, the measurement results by the delta Abs can be obtained.

[0122] (9) The same specimen as that in (3) is injected separately intothe specimen vessel 28 of the cartridge container into which thereagents had been injected separately by hand as shown in above (5), andthe cartridge container was set in the present measuring equipment toconduct measurements, and the RF concentration was obtained.

[0123] (10) The measurement results obtained respectively from JCA-BM8and the present measuring equipment were compared with each other. Theresults are shown in Table 3. Although a divergence of 7.4% at most wasobserved, by taking the performance (CV=8% or less, n=10) of thereagents used this time into consideration, the measuring equipment isadequate for practical use. The measurements conducted by using thecartridge container prepared by separately injecting general-purposereagents into an empty cartridge container for the present measuringequipment proved that the measurement results equivalent to those by theconventional automatic analyzer can be obtained. TABLE 3 present reagentSpecimen JCA-BM8 measuring equipment divergence (%) blood plasma-1 15 166.7 blood plasma-2 18 18 0.0 blood plasma-3 27 29 7.4 blood plasma-4 3029 −3.3 blood plasma-5 49 50 2.0 blood plasma-6 54 56 3.7 blood plasma-786 90 4.7

Example 2

[0124] Measurements were conducted for specimens of whole blood in thepresent measuring equipment.

[0125] Two specimens of whole blood having different RF concentrations(EDTA, 2K blood added) were prepared. Then, the specimens were partiallycentrifuged to obtain blood plasmas, and at the same time, the rest washemolyzed by freezing and thawing as whole blood samples.

[0126] As in Example 1, a cartridge container is prepared by separatelyinjecting general-purpose reagents into an empty cartridge container toconduct the measurements of the blood plasmas and the whole blood. Themeasurement values of the RF concentrations in the obtained whole bloodwere subject to hematocrit conversion by determining the hematocritvalues (%) from the Hb concentration obtained simultaneously(measurement values of RF in whole blood/(1-hematocrit value (%) /100).This hematocrit conversion is conducted as an “arithmetic processing”shown in Step S456 of FIG. 8 and in Step S470 of FIG. 9 in theaforementioned embodiment of the present invention.

[0127] When the measurement results after the hematocrit correction ofthe whole blood thus obtained were compared with the measurement resultsof the blood plasmas, approximately the same measurement values wereobtained. Therefore, it became clear that when the measurements areconducted by using the container (the general-purpose cartridgecontainer) prepared by separately injecting commercially availablereagents into an empty cartridge container for the present measuringequipment, the specimens of the whole blood can be measured byconducting corrections with the hematocrit values. The results are shownin Table 4. TABLE 4 blood whole Ht Ht correction ratio to plasma bloodvalue value blood plasma specimen (IU/mL) (IU/mL) (%) (IU/mL) (%) No. 134 20 41.2 34 100.0 No.2 90 51 39.7 85 94.0

[0128] Industrial Applicability

[0129] As described above, the present invention can provide highlyversatile measuring equipment while maintaining the advantages of thespecial-purpose apparatus in that it is generally smaller than ageneral-purpose apparatus and capable of almost completely automatingthe operations by enabling the use of a general-purpose cartridgecontainer prepared by separately injecting commercially availablereagents into a cartridge container.

1. Measuring equipment for conducting a measurement using a cartridgecontainer in which a specimen and a reagent are injected separately intoa plurality of vessels, the cartridge container being either aspecial-purpose cartridge container, which is injected separately inadvance with predetermined reagents corresponding to items of ameasurement object and sealed with a sealing material on which aninformation carrier including information relevant to the cartridgecontainer is attached, or a general-purpose cartridge container thatdoes not have the information carrier and is injected separately withreagents by a measurer, and the equipment comprises: carrieridentification means for deciding whether an information carrier isattached to a cartridge container of a measurement object; measurementcondition storage means for storing measurement conditions for each itemof the measurement object; and operation control means that decides froman output of the carrier identification means whether the cartridgecontainer of the measurement object is a special-purpose cartridgecontainer or a general-purpose cartridge container, and when thecartridge container of the measurement object is a special-purposecartridge container, a measurement is conducted according to measurementconditions read out from the measurement condition storage means basedon the information included in the information carrier, whereas when thecartridge container of a measurement object is a general-purposecartridge container, a measurement is conducted by outputting aninstruction to select items of the measurement object to output meansand reading out the measurement conditions from the measurementcondition storage means for the items of the measurement object selectedand input from input means.
 2. The measuring equipment according toclaim 1, wherein the information carrier is an optically readablecarrier, and optical read means is disposed in means for transferringliquid between the vessels of the cartridge container.
 3. The measuringequipment according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprisinginformation read means to read information from a magnetic recordingmedium, wherein the operation control means directs the information readmeans to read measurement conditions recorded in the recording mediumand to store them in the measurement condition storage means.
 4. Themeasuring equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein themeasurement condition storage means has a first area where measurementconditions for using the special-purpose cartridge container arerecorded and a second area where measurement conditions for using thegeneral-purpose cartridge container are stored, and the operationcontrol means analyzes the measurement conditions read from therecording medium by the information read means, and stores them in thefirst area when the measurement conditions are measurement conditionsrelated to a measurement using a special-purpose cartridge container andin the second area when the measurement conditions are measurementconditions related to a measurement using a general-purpose cartridgecontainer.
 5. The measuring equipment according to claim 4, wherein aspecific identification number for each item of a measurement object isgiven to the special-purpose cartridge container, and when themeasurement conditions read from the recording medium by the informationread means are measurement conditions related to a measurement using ageneral-purpose cartridge container, the operation control means gives,as an identification number of a general-purpose cartridge containerused for this measurement, an identification number in a range that doesnot overlap with the identification numbers given to the special-purposecartridge container in a sequential order, and stores them in the secondarea.
 6. The measuring equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 5,wherein all reagents and solvents needed for the measurement areinjected separately into the special-purpose cartridge container.
 7. Themeasuring equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein awaste vessel is disposed in the cartridge container to store wasteliquid.
 8. A measuring method for conducting a measurement using acartridge container in which a specimen and a reagent are injectedseparately into a plurality of vessels, the cartridge container beingeither a special-purpose cartridge container, which is injectedseparately in advance with predetermined reagents corresponding to itemsof a measurement object and sealed with a sealing material on which aninformation carrier including information relevant to the cartridgecontainer is attached, or a general-purpose cartridge container thatdoes not have the information carrier and is injected separately withreagents by a measurer, and the method comprises: deciding whether thecartridge container of the measurement object is a special-purposecartridge container or a general-purpose cartridge container based onwhether an information carrier is attached to the cartridge container ofthe measurement object, and when the cartridge container of themeasurement object is a special-purpose cartridge container, conductinga measurement following the measurement operation procedurescorresponding to the information included in the information carrier,whereas when the cartridge container of the measurement object is ageneral-purpose cartridge container, outputting an instruction to selectitems of the measurement object and conducting a measurement followingmeasurement operation procedures corresponding to the selected and inputitems of the measurement object.
 9. The measuring method using measuringequipment according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the method furthercomprising: separately injecting a predetermined reagent and a specimeninto a general-purpose cartridge container; setting the general-purposecartridge container in the measuring equipment; and selecting andinputting items of a measurement object following an instruction fromthe measuring equipment to select items of the measurement object.
 10. Aprogram recording medium that records a control program for directingmeasuring equipment to execute a measurement using a cartridge containerwith a plurality of vessels injected separately with a specimen and areagent, the measuring equipment comprising carrier identification meansfor deciding whether an information carrier is attached to a cartridgecontainer of a measurement object, measurement condition storage meansfor storing measurement conditions for each item of the measurementobject, and measuring means for conducting a measurement according tothe measurement conditions, wherein the control program comprises:deciding from an output from the carrier identification means whetherthe cartridge container of the measurement object is a special-purposecartridge container, which is injected separately in advance withpredetermined reagents corresponding to items of the measurement objectand sealed with a sealing material on which an information carrierincluding information relevant to the cartridge container is attached,or a general-purpose cartridge container that does not have theinformation carrier and is injected separately with reagents by ameasurer, and when the cartridge container of the measurement object isa special-purpose cartridge container, conducting a measurementfollowing the measurement conditions read out from the measurementcondition storage means based on the information included in theinformation carrier, whereas when the cartridge container of ameasurement object is a general-purpose cartridge container, outputtingan instruction to select items of the measurement object and conductinga measurement following the measurement conditions read out from themeasurement condition storage means corresponding to the items of themeasurement object selected and input based on the output.
 11. A programrecording medium that records a control program for directingmeasurement equipment to store measurement conditions in measurementcondition storage means of the measuring equipment, the measuringequipment comprising the measurement condition storage means for storingmeasurement conditions for each item of a measurement object and uses acartridge container including a plurality of vessels injected separatelywith a specimen and a reagent, and the control program comprises:deciding whether the input measurement conditions are measurementconditions related to a measurement using a special-purpose cartridgecontainer, which is injected separately in advance with predeterminedreagents corresponding to items of a measurement object and sealed witha sealing material on which an information carrier including informationrelevant to the cartridge container is attached, or measurementconditions related to a measurement using a general-purpose cartridgecontainer that does not have the information carrier and is injectedseparately with reagents by a measurer, and based on the decisionresult, storing the measurement conditions to different areas of themeasurement condition storage means.
 12. The program recording mediumaccording to claim 11, wherein a specific identification number for eachitem of the measurement object is given to the special-purpose cartridgecontainer, and when the input measurement conditions are measurementconditions related to a measurement using a general-purpose cartridgecontainer, the control program gives, as an identification number of ageneral-purpose cartridge container used for this measurement, anidentification number in a range that does not overlap with theidentification numbers given to the special-purpose cartridge containerin a sequential order, and stores them in the measurement conditionstorage means.
 13. The program recording medium according to claim 11 or12, wherein the measurement conditions are recorded in a magneticrecording medium, and the control program inputs the measurementconditions from magnetic information read means equipped in themeasuring equipment.